Ms. Temperance Jones, a new teacher to Prep this year, is the director of Jackson Prep’s Patriot Singers. Jones originally came from a very music-oriented family in her hometown of Birmingham; her mother was a music major at Spelman College in Atlanta, and she also taught the arts at Sardis Christian School and Master’s Academy of Fine Arts.

Ms. Jones’ mother raised her and her sisters to sing throughout their childhood, and she also pushed them to participate in a multitude of musical activities. As she got older, Ms. Jones decided she wanted to continue her musical career. She left Birmingham to attend Belhaven University and study music with emphasis in musical theater. She went on to teach children the basics of music at Covenant Presbyterian Church Preschool and Discovery Christian School, both in the same year.

Jones says that one of her favorite things about Prep is how it is a family-oriented, deeply-rooted community. Currently, an important event in the near future for her is the Voices of Mississippi Competition that is sponsored by the Mississippi Opera in September, which she has been working on her audition for.

Among the things Jones enjoys are traveling and watching the movie Garden State, starring Zach Braff and Natalie Portman. She really enjoys listening to music, and Jazmine Sullivan is currently one of her favorite artists. Jones is very excited about this upcoming year at Prep, and she cannot wait for the Patriot Singers to start their season in the spring. She is also excited to be helping out with the school’s new musical, Footloose, which will debut October 21 and 23.

On September 21st, The Avett Brothers played at Thalia Mara Hall with Langhorne Slim as their opening act.

The Avett Brothers are an American folk rock band from Mount Pleasant, North Carolina. The co-lead vocalist are Scott Avett who plays the banjo and his brother Seth Avett who plays the guitar. Their band also consists of Bob Crawford, who play double bass, Joe Kwon, who plays cello, Mike Marsh who plays drums, and Tania Elizabeth who plays the violin.

Scott Avett took the time to let me talk to him and answer a few question for me. Not only is he a easy guy to talk to, you can also see his passion for music when he talks.

One of my favorite things to do before going to a concert is to look at band’s setlist and to try to figure out what songs they will play. For The Avett Brothers, when I saw them Thursday I wanted it to be a surprise, so I asked Scott how do you come up with your setlist he said, “Recently we had a member leave positively to go and play his first instrument, which is the bass. He was playing keys with us. Without him we’ve changed the format of are show and the format of they way we present certain songs so that is really guiding some setlist right now. So practical things like that, like where we are and what we might have played last time we were there so there is a ebb and flow more gradually than extreme like tonight.”

When I asked him what song out of all his albums meant the most to him, Scott said, “As of late I still really like the two dichotomy of “Ain’t no Man” and “No Hard Feelings” for the ying and the yang, the black and the white, for the contrast that they make, coming from two brothers with different perspective, so I like the pair. I think it’s important. I think it reflects the pair of Seth and I.”

The opening act was Langhorne Slim. Photo by Madeline Claire Hughes.

Scott’s musical range has a lot of variety between the banjo, piano, guitar, and fiddle. When I asked him what his favorite instruments to play was, he replied, “The banjo is my natural voice, but recently I have fallen in love with the baritone ukulele and I also, just actually this week restarted trying to play the fiddle and I’m trying to train myself to play it well. I can toy around with it, but I really want to get accustomed with it, so I’m going after it just like a kid would so I’m starting that, so I’m good.”

The Avett Brothers latest album, True Sadness, their ninth,paints The Avett Brothers in a different light. Rather than their rock n’ roll to folky style, The Avett Brothers present this album that shows the artists in a more vulnerable stage. Scott Thompson from NPR Music explains how this album gives a sense of fulfillment on how heartbreak can make you stronger, and to not let our mistakes affect our future. Not only is this album heart filling, it also shows a deeper layer of who the artists are and their musical journey.

David Rutherford speaks to a group of students during 5th period. Photo courtesy of Ainsley O’Quinn.

David Rutherford is a former Navy SEAL and motivational speaker. He came and spoke to the Jackson Prep student body on September 21, at the invitation of Global Leadership Institute director Col. William Merrell.

In a follow-up meeting with a smaller group of students during 5th period, Rutherford said, “One of the most interesting things I do is to watch where people sit during my speeches and learn things from that.”

The four main ideas that form the core of Rutherford’s message are commitment, training, communication, and leadership. He spoke on commitment to yourself and to others. He also told the students about training and how training never ends. He talked about communication and that one must be a good listener. He also talked about leadership and how we can all lead in our lives.

Rutherford played football in high school and wanted to play college football. In high school he was the national representative for Florida at the All American lacrosse game. He played lacrosse at Penn State and gave up on his dream of being a quarterback.

When he became a Navy SEAL it changed his life. He says he became a Navy SEAL because of God. He was trained by Rob O’Neill, the man who killed Osama bin Laden. Rutherford told students that the Navy SEALs would have to run 9 miles to get to their meals each day. He talked about the training and dedication it takes to be a Navy SEAL. He currently has 32 friends that he has lost and are at the Arlington National Cemetery. He also talked about the “Team Mentality” as key to being a Navy SEAL, but also explained ways in which students could apply it to their own lives.

More information about David Rutherford and his ongoing work as a motivator can be found at his website, https://teamfroglogic.com.

]]>https://jpsentry.net/1170557/entertainment/kellys-album-of-the-week-archive/feed/01170557Kelly’s Album of the Week: All Hail West Texashttps://jpsentry.net/1170543/audio/kellys-album-of-the-week-all-hail-west-texas/
https://jpsentry.net/1170543/audio/kellys-album-of-the-week-all-hail-west-texas/#respondFri, 22 Sep 2017 18:55:38 +0000https://jpsentry.net/?p=1170543

All Hail West Texasby The Mountain Goats shows the power that one man, a tape recorder and an acoustic guitar can have. John Darnielle single-handedly created this album in his house on a boombox recorder, and he wrote his lyrics on the margins of his hand outs from a job orientation class.

As a listener, you’ll notice that the sound quality differs from a typical studio, but the feedback gives the album a feeling that you’re listening to an underground masterpiece. All Hail West Texas is proof that great songs can outshine great recording. Each song tells a story from Darnielle’s youth, and his powerful lyrics are paired with fairly simple chord progressions that creates an excellent blank canvass for his lyrics to stand out.

Every aspect of youth is explored: love, dreams, failure, and partying. The song “The Best Ever Death Metal Band In Denton” is the story of two boys try to follow their dreams and are punished for doing so. Darnielle’s powerful last verse of this song is shocking, but makes listeners feel anger for the characters in the song. There’s a chilling familiarity in the sentiment of songs like “Jenny” and “Fall of the Star High School Running Back.” I feel like I know the people in his lyrics.

The recording of this album might take some getting used to, but it is definitely worth the listen. Also, be sure to check out more of The Mountain Goats’ work like The Sunset Tree and Beat the Champ.

About the author: As an avid listener of music, guitar player, singer, and band member, I thought it might be fun to give my two cents about music I enjoy. I’m a fan of most genres, but really I just want to hear music with some artistic merit. I hope to get people to listen to music they haven’t heard and see if they like it. Also, feel free to suggest any music for me to listen to.

With the departure of the beloved Mr. Hogue, many Latin students were concerned about the creation of an empty teaching position in the Latin program. However, Ms. Beth Watts has returned to Jackson Prep in order to teach the language, taking on the challenge of instructing students from Latin I though AP Latin about the language of the Roman Empire and the culture behind it.

Ms. Watts, a former Prep student, knew that she wanted to be a teacher, and made her decision about what kind of teacher she wanted to be because of her own Latin instructor from her days at Prep, Ms. Patsy Ricks. Ms. Watts made her decision to become a Latin teacher based on her ease with the language and the inspiration Patsy Ricks left her. Ms. Watts went to Wake Forest for college and the University of Florida for her Master’s, studying Latin and Italian. Studying for a semester in Florence, Italy and making frequent trips to Italy have only helped further her own education, which she will impart to her students.

Ms. Watts comes to Jackson Prep most recently from teaching Latin at MRA. Before MRA, she was the Latin teacher at Jackson Prep.

Making Latin class both interesting and educational is a goal Ms. Watts has for Prep. Another one of her goals for Latin classes is becoming more connected with other Latin programs, as well as competing against them, in JCL. As Ms. Watts is the Mississippi Junior Classical League State Co-Chair/ Treasurer and one of the two officers, she has a drive to help the Jackson Prep Latin program become even more involved in the JCL.

One of the new additions to the Latin program because of this is the possibility for students to earn a position in the Latin Honors Society. The program will also host more Latin themed activities around school as well. “Jackson Prep Latin program should be one of the premier programs in the state,” said Ms. Watts.

As she has her two children at Jackson Prep, Ms. Watts trusts the quality of instruction that students receive at this school and will also uphold that standard of teaching in her classes. An interesting fact about her is that she won the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway, and she now lives in that house with her two children.

Despite being listed as a new teacher this year, Mr. Richart Schug is not a new face on the Prep campus. Mr. Schug has been a substitute for the woodworking class for a few years, and last year, he was brought in to teach the second semester of the class.

Mr. Schug is from Appleton, Wisconsin. After high school, he attended the State University of New York at Purchase, where he became interested in the theater and painting. He majored in theatrical design, where he devoted most of his time to becoming a set designer. He realized that he wanted to do this when he saw the artistry that was necessary to build a set. Mr. Schug was especially interested in how a stage can be New York one day and a couple weeks later can be ancient Rome.

Mr. Schug and students. Photo by Ford Lange.

When asked about his reason for teaching, Mr. Schug said, “Honestly, teaching was never something I thought about doing.” Teaching was something that both of his parents did and was even on a list that he made of things he would least likely enjoy. Now that he has taken that path and is a teacher, he says he enjoys when he can tell that a student has learned everything that they were taught.

Since Mr. Schug is only teaching two classes this year, he is only at Prep for three to four hours a day. When he isn’t teaching, Mr. Schug serves as the resident scenic designer at New Stage Theatre in Jackson. He also does work for a number of other schools in the area. He has prepared sets that have been in plays for Jackson Academy as well as Madison Central. During his free time, he enjoys anything that has to do with art. Additionally, he enjoys hiking as well as watching the show Game of Thrones.

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]]>https://jpsentry.net/1170427/features/new-teacher-profile-richart-schug/feed/01170427College Fair puts students, schools in contacthttps://jpsentry.net/1170509/news/college-fair-puts-students-schools-in-contact/
https://jpsentry.net/1170509/news/college-fair-puts-students-schools-in-contact/#respondWed, 20 Sep 2017 20:10:28 +0000https://jpsentry.net/?p=1170509Jackson Prep’s annual College Fair took place on September 19. The college fair was set up in the gym with many tables where college representatives could put their college information. At the college fair, many colleges were represented from all over the country. Some of the colleges included the University of MS, MS State, Colgate, SMU, Auburn, and Alabama. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors could attend with their parents.

Junior Anna Stack said, “I got to talk to a lot of colleges that I wouldn’t have expected I would be interested in.” This year’s college fair provided a great opportunity for students to be able to walk around to talk to college representatives and get some more information in the college decision making process.

After teaching at Pearl High School for ten years, Ms. Linda Self is now one of many new members of the Prep family. You might see her walking around the junior high, or in her classroom teaching Geometry. She heard good things about Prep from her two friends who worked with her at Pearl. After teaching both Algebra II and Geometry at Pearl, she is now teaching just Geometry here at Prep.

Growing up in Pearl, Ms. Self participated in the band at Pearl High School as a flag girl. She was also a member of the flag line at Ole Miss, where she got her Bachelor’s Degree in mathematics as an undergrad, after which she got her Master’s Degree in Educational Theories and Practices at Arkansas State.

When outside of school, Ms. Self enjoys several hobbies, the most prominent of which is going to flea markets and garage sales to get any good deals that she can. Another of her favorite hobbies is caring for her three dogs.

Since beginning to teach at Prep, Ms. Self has been blown away by how amazing Prep is. Her favorite part about teaching tenth grade is that most of her students can’t yet drive, so she can still keep her students from running off after school. This also ties in to her favorite part about teaching in general, which is being able to work with young children. She said, “I have been overwhelmed with my amazing students and the professional staff.”